Projects and Favorites

Tea Time

These pieces fell into our lap and Daun immediately thought “if I were a little girl again, I’d have a tea party at this table”. Luckily we were knee-deep into our bedtime stories/nursery rhymes phase so Alice wasn’t much of a stretch.

The Story time phase certainly brought out the whimsy

These pieces are just a few of our favorites. Some are spoken for and have moved on, and some are still in the showroom.

Deer Variations End Table

We ran across a gentleman on Facebook selling handmade furniture out of his workshop in Ames, Iowa. as you may know, we love Ames and don’t need much of a reason to visit. This piece was the first to greet us. A dainty little unfinished Queen Anne. Everything about it was eye catching. It was in the van before you could say “Bob’s your Uncle” Which. by the way, I’ve never said. Until just now.

It was apparent this was another piece that we needed to let “talk to us”. Amazingly, the table found it’s voice at the same time Daun had retired after 30 some years of toiling away in a 9 to 5 job. The result is this beauty.

Classic Cupboard

This most recent addition came to us on it’s last legs. It was tired, old, and rickety. It really reminded me of hobos of yesteryear, hopping the rails. There was something under the years of “experience” this piece carried that was worth looking into. It had an “aura” almost.

The makeover began with “re-hydrating”. It was in dire need of furniture nutrition and TLC. An application of Howard Feed-n-Wax Wood Polish and Conditioner (Lowe’s in Ames, IA – of course) began the amazing journey. A little elbow grease and a finishing nail here and there, and there, and then more elbow grease. Here it is, in it’s radiant 39″W x 15″D x 70″H glory. If you look closely you may catch a glimpse of the hobo mentioned earlier.

From beginning to end. We are just getting the hang of taking before pictures.

Vintage Armoire

SOLD

We came across this piece like we do most others, looking for something entirely different. There is a square area (top, center – behind the circular mirror) that Daun assures me is used to store hats. Who knew?

Once we let the piece “talk to us” it became apparent that it was talking exclusively to Daun so I busied myself with shelving and other minutiae.

The Whimsical Secretary

Watching this piece come together was like watching a child grow …

It’s a nice, substantial piece. 6′ high, 3 1/2 ‘ wide and almost 2’ deep.

The Peacock Dresser

SOLD

This piece was a challenge. We had prepped it, made a to do list, picked up supplies and got busy doing something else.

The bureau came to life …

As the bureau became acclimated to living indoors, things began changing. It started “looking healthier”, wicking moisture I suppose. Whatever was happening, things that used to fit together just didn’t.

The growing pains were over

It was time to get to work. Having an idea of what we wanted this project to look and feel like, it was time we got down to the scraping and sanding, sighing and painting phase.

The teamwork showed up early

Not only were we learning new techniques but we were also honing our communication skills and seamlessly working side by side, like choreography. The results just seemed to pop. We really love how this piece came together.